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Melissa is a doctoral student in homiletics at Duke Divinity School where she studies preaching traditions in working class communities. She is a graduate of Duke University and Princeton Theological Seminary. A Voices columnist for the Christian Century, her writing has also appeared in Sojourners, Geez, Anabaptist Witness, Image Journal, Faith&Leadership, and Anabaptist Vision. She is the author of Fire By Night: Finding God in the Pages of the Old Testament and How to Have an Enemy: Righteous Anger and the Work of Peace. Her work in the community includes organizing memorials for lynching victims, preaching in the Raleigh women's prison, and working towards a just peace in Palestine. She is on the pastoral committee of Mennonite Action, and on the boards of Anabaptist World and Central District Conference of Mennonite Church USA. She lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with her family, her two cats, and her pollinator garden. You can read her regular writing on Substack.
